Respiratory Care Program

Dear Prospective Student:

We would like to let you know that an exciting opportunity has become available for
the Fall semester in regard to a Respiratory Care program. State College of Florida and Saint Petersburg College have formed a partnership
for this critical need program.

Respiratory therapists are licensed healthcare providers who have specific training
in caring for patients with respiratory disease, including managing life support equipment.
RRTs work in a variety of settings, including acute and long term care facilities,
outpatient clinics, sleep labs, diagnostic centers, and home care. The training program
to become a licensed RRT is two years, and the salary range is comparable to registered
nurses and radiology techs.

Because of the current shortage of respiratory therapists, State College of Florida has
partnered with St. Petersburg College (SPC) to offer a collaborative training program
for RRTs. St. Petersburg College offers a well established RRT training program in
Florida. SPC has state of the art training labs and equipment, and has success rates
of 20-30% higher than the national average on the certification examination.

In this collaborative program students may take their general education courses at
any SCF campus. If enrollment in this program is sufficient, students will complete
their clinical training at hospitals in the Manatee and Sarasota areas. Respiratory
Care classes will be one or two days a week at St Petersburg College's Health Education
Center in St. Petersburg. Some of the respiratory classes are offered online. This
program is designed to meet the needs of working adults of all ages.

Additional information is available online at the SPC website. For more information or to apply please call Steve Hardt, M.A., RRT, at 727-341-3627.

We hope that you will consider this exciting opportunity!

Regards,

Steve Hardt, BIS, RRT

Dr. Beverly Hindenlang

Respiratory Care Program Coordinator

Dean, Nursing

St. Petersburg College

State College of Florida

Program Goal:

The collaborative Respiratory Care Program of State College of Florida (SCF) and St.
Petersburg College (SPC) supplies the community with competent entry-level respiratory
therapists who are able to give quality respiratory care and function as an integral
part of a healthcare team. This program provides students with innovative and effective
educational opportunities to prepare for a rewarding career in respiratory care.

The Respiratory Care Program combines didactic and clinical education in a variety
of settings to prepare the graduate for a career as a Registered Respiratory Therapist
(RRT).

Upon completion of the program, the graduate is eligible to take the National Board
of Respiratory Care (NBRC) exam to become an RRT. This registry is accepted in any
state and many foreign countries.

This program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of The Allied
Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), in collaboration with the Committee on Accreditation
for Respiratory Care (CoARC), 1248 Harwood Road, Bedford, TX 76021, 817-283-2835.

Program Entrance Requirements:

Under the collaborative program, students complete their academic courses at any SCF
location.

Earned Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or better on all General Academic Requirements

All general education courses must be completed with a letter grade of 'C' or better.

Enrollment in this program is limited, and students who meet the minimum admission
requirements for the program as outlined will be admitted on a first qualified, first
served basis. Applications are accepted continuously throughout the year and are available
on the SPC Web site. Qualified applicants who are not admitted for the coming term will be placed on
a waiting list for the next available slot in the order they were qualified. For this
reason, students should apply as soon as they complete the following admission requirements:
College placement test, college preparatory classes based on College placement test
results, and a minimum of four hours of observation in a respiratory care department.